Introduction
Felling axes are a type of two-handed axe that provide an invisible woodcutting boost when used to chop down trees. Unlike hatchets or pickaxes which are one-handed, felling axes must both hands to wield but provide much faster chopping. The dragon felling axe is the highest tier felling axe available, providing the largest woodcutting boost. It is created by attaching a dragon axe head to a completed felling axe handle.
The dragon felling axe provides a visible +8 woodcutting boost when equipped. This is higher than the infernal axe’s +7 boost and much higher than the +3 of the rune or adamant felling axes. The fast chopping speed makes the dragon felling axe ideal for power training Woodcutting on high level trees like teaks, mahoganies, and redwoods. Its damage and speed are unrivaled by any other hatchet or axe.
Requirements
To wield the dragon felling axe, players need 60 Attack. To use it for woodcutting, 61 Woodcutting is required (Dragon felling axe). This is the same as the requirements for a regular dragon axe (Dragon axe).
There are no quest requirements associated with wielding or using the dragon felling axe. This contrasts with the infernal axe, which requires completion of the Firemaking part of the master quest cape to equip (Infernal axe).
Stats and Bonuses
The dragon felling axe has higher stats than the other felling axes in Old School RuneScape. It has an attack speed of 5 (same as all battleaxes), +85 strength bonus, and +21 slash bonus. Most for woodcutting, it provides a +3 woodcutting boost compared to the infernal axe’s +2.
This woodcutting boost results in more efficient chopping of high level trees. For example, at level 90 Woodcutting chopping redwoods, the dragon axe provides a 2% higher success rate than the infernal axe. This translates to saving around 1 second per redwood chopped, making the dragon faster at high levels (source: https://oldschool.runescape.wiki/w/Dragon_felling_axe).
The dragon felling axe also has 60,000 charges of combat use before degrading to a broken state. It can be repaired for 1.5 million coins. , its stats make it best-in-slot for chopping high level trees above level 90 Woodcutting.
Obtaining the Dragon Felling Axe
The dragon felling axe cannot be obtained as a drop or reward in Old School RuneScape. Players have two options for obtaining it:
1. Buying it from the Grand Exchange. As of January 2023, the dragon felling axe costs around 5.6 million OSRS gold to sale this way.
2. Smithing it yourself by combining a dragon axe and felling axe handle at an anvil. To do this, you’ll need:
- A dragon axe
- A felling axe handle (purchased from Bob in Lumbridge)
- A hammer
- Access to an anvil
With these items, use the felling axe handle on the dragon axe while standing next to an anvil with a hammer in your inventory. This will create an unstrung dragon felling axe, which can then be strung with a bow string for an assembled dragon felling axe ready for use.
The process of smithing a dragon felling axe yourself costs less than buying it outright. Expect to spend around 1-2 million OSRS gold obtaining a dragon axe plus 200k for the felling axe handle.
Woodcutting Uses
The dragon felling axe can be used to cut all trees in Old School RuneScape except the hollow trees at Woodcutting Guild. It provides a visible boost in chopping speed and XP rates when cutting high level trees like magic trees, yew trees, and redwood trees. According to the Old School RuneScape Wiki, using the dragon felling axe provides over a 15% increase in XP per hour when cutting magic trees compared to a rune axe 1.
Many players choose to use the dragon felling axe when power training Woodcutting or trying to achieve the fastest XP rates possible. It’s one of the best axes for efficient Woodcutting training at level 75 and above trees. The extra chop speed makes a noticeable difference, allowing players to cut more logs per hour compared to lower tier axes.
The downside is that the dragon felling axe is very expensive to get and costs over 30 million gold to buy from the Grand Exchange. It also requires recharging with dragon axe heads, which is another expense. This makes it more of a luxury item for players who can afford the high upfront and maintenance costs. The infernal axe has similar woodcutting bonuses and may be a more affordable high-level option.
Other Uses
The dragon felling axe has limited uses outside of woodcutting. Its two-handed rule makes it impractical for most combat situations. Yet, there are a couple niche uses:
For firemaking, the dragon felling axe can be useful when lighting high level logs like magic logs or redwood logs. Its woodcutting boost results in faster lighting of logs. Some players choose to use the dragon felling axe when training Firemaking at places like the Wintertodt camp.
In player-vs-player combat situations, the dragon felling axe can be used to attack players behind trees or other obstacles. The increased range from its long handle allows hitting targets that are blocked from access. Yet, the slow attack speed limits its viability in PvP.
The dragon felling axe sees very little use outside of woodcutting. Most players will switch to a more standard one-handed weapon or axe when training skills like Firemaking or combat.
Is it Worth Getting?
The dragon felling axe is one of the most expensive woodcutting tools in Old School RuneScape, with a current market price around 55 million gold coins. For most players, investing over 50m on a single woodcutting item is not workable or the best use of money.
While the dragon felling axe provides a nice boost to woodcutting efficiency, especially at high levels, many players argue the upgrade is not worth the massive price tag. With good tick manipulation, high level axes like the infernal axe or crystal axe can achieve competitive rates at a fraction of the cost. The dragon felling axe is more of a luxury sale for max efficiency than an essential upgrade.
Getting the most out of the dragon felling axe requires very high woodcutting levels (90+). For mid-level players still working on leveling woodcutting, the opportunity cost is too high compared to spending that 55m on gear upgrades or other buyable skills. While nice to have, the dragon felling axe is not a smart priority for the majority of players.
Comparing to Crystal and Infernal Axes
The dragon felling axe stands up well against other high level woodcutting axes like the crystal axe and infernal axe. The main advantage of the dragon felling axe is the 3 level woodcutting boost it provides, which is the same boost as the infernal axe.
But, the infernal axe has higher woodcutting stats, providing a +10 woodcutting bonus compared to the dragon felling axe’s +8 bonus. The infernal axe is also much faster with a 4 tick speed, while the dragon felling axe is 5 tick.
So while the dragon felling axe has the same woodcutting boost, the infernal axe will cut trees faster due to higher stats. The crystal axe sits between, with +9 woodcutting bonus and 5 tick speed.
The infernal axe is considered the best woodcutting axe in OSRS, followed by the crystal axe. The dragon felling axe is still a strong option, but lacks the speed of crystal/infernal axes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the dragon felling axe is a luxury item that most average players will likely not find worth pursuing. While it provides a noticeable boost to woodcutting efficiency, especially at high levels, the significant cost and effort required to get it make the dragon felling axe hard to justify for most.
For players with plenty of excess cash and who want to maximize woodcutting, the dragon felling axe can be a worthwhile upgrade. The extra woodcutting boost will allow faster XP rates when chopping high-tier trees. But, more casual players or those without 94 Woodcutting will see little enjoy owning the axe.
Additionally, the dragon felling axe is outclassed by crystal axes and infernal tools for those who have access to them. While still one of the best non-degradable axes, the dragon felling axe is not top-tier anymore.
The dragon felling axe is a luxury that only maxed skillers and wealthy completionist players need to pursue. For most of the OSRS community, the time and money required to get this axe would be better spent on other upgrades.
Obtaining the Dragon Felling Axe
The dragon felling axe is one of the most expensive and difficult axes to get in Old School RuneScape. There are two main methods to get this elite woodcutting tool:
The first way is to buy it from the Grand Exchange. But, due to the high-level requirements and limited use, there is low supply and high demand for the dragon felling axe. As a result, it costs 50-100 million gold to sale.
The second and more common method is to create the dragon felling axe yourself through the Smithing skill. To smith one, you will need:
- Level 91 Smithing
- A dragon axe
- 1 dragon bar
- 1 hammer
With these items, you can use the dragon bar on the dragon axe at any anvil to create the dragon felling axe. This will provide some Smithing experience. Many players opt to make their own axe rather than buying it to save money. But you still need 92 Woodcutting and 61 Attack to equip the end result.
As one of the few level 91 Smithing items in OSRS, the dragon felling axe takes large time, effort and gold to get. But for players pursuing the elite levels of woodcutting efficiency, the investment is well worth it.
